Taking advantage of a home viewing boom during the COVID-19 lockdown, the German mini-major has set up three sites for horror, arthouse and blockbuster titles from its library, including the likes of 'Pulp Fiction.'
Leonine, the German mini-major controlled by private equity group KKR, has expanded its in-house streaming services with a trio of streaming services targeting cinema fans amid the coronavirus lockdown.
The group, which has German rights to the collected libraries of hundreds of films from local independents Universum and Tele-Munchen Group, is rolling out niche streamers Home of Horror (horror titles), Filmtastic (blockbusters) and Arthouse CNMA (arthouse features) across German-speaking Europe.
Home of Horror will launch on Google Play and the Apple App store May 1 with around 500 titles, including Escape Room, Knock Knock and the Scream franchise. Filmtastic bows July 1 offering hits titles some 250 films and series including Pulp Fiction, Sin City and Martin Scorcese's Aviator. The Arthouse CNMA service, starting Aug. 1, will offer a curated platform of around 350 titles, including such award winners as The Artist, Amelie or Lars von Trier's Melancholia.
After a free two-week trial period, the SVOD services will cost subscribers $4.30 (€3.99) per month. The SVOD trio is currently only available as part of the Amazon Channels offering.
The boom in streaming use by consumers forced to shelter at home during the COVID-19 outbreak — Netflix added 15.8 million subscribers in the first quarter — has led independent companies to push more of their film libraries online in a move to drive revenue. For example, MK2 this week signed a 50-title deal with Netflix in France for classic movies from its 800-title library and appointed veteran producer Rosalie Varda as a consultant for future exploitation of its back catalog.
